Impeller for food waste disposer



April 1969 D. J. REAUX 3,439,878

IMPELLER FOR FOOD WASTE DISPOSER Filed April 21, 1966 INVENTOR. DONALD I REAUX FIG-.4 v

AT TORPJEY United States Patent 3,439,878 IMPELLER FOR FOOD WASTE DISPOSER Donald J. Reaux, Pasadena, Tex., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 544,274 Int. Cl. B02c 18/42 US. Cl. 24146.li8 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved impeller for use with a food waste disposer having a comminuting chamber, substantially circular stationary grinding means in the comminuting chamber, a rotatable element, means to rotate the element, and means to pivotally secure an impeller to the element to rotate therewith relative to the grinding means. The improved impeller has an asymmetrical configuration including a massive portion adjacent its leading surface which has a height greater than that of the trailing portion of the impeller tocause the impeller to orient itself relative to the grinding means, due to centrifugal forces developed during rotation of the element, such that the leading surface forms an angle with the tangent of the circular grinding means of less than 90.

The present invention relates generally to food waste disposers and, more specifically, to an improved impeller for a food waste disposer.

Food waste disposers generally comprise a rotatable element, or flywheel, which rotates within a cylindrical comminuting chamber. Stationary grinding means are provided within the chamber and at least one impeller, and usually two, is associated with the flywheel to impel food waste into the grinding means to effect comminution. Water is admitted to the chamber to flush the comminuting food waste from the chamber into the sewer system.

Many types of impellers and flywheels have been proposed heretofore to enhance the grinding rate, i.e., the speed with which the disposer will comminute a given quantity of food waste. These have met with varying degrees of success; however, most have involved expensive machined parts with the expense of machining greatly offsetting the advantages of improved grinding rate. The present invention concerns an improved impeller for a food waste disposer which enhances grinding rate but yet involves only a simple cast impeller relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide an improved impeller for a food waste disposer.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved impeller for a food waste disposer which enhances the grinding rate of a disposer in which it is employed but which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided, in a food waste disposer having a comminuting chamber, substantially circular stationary grinding means within the comminuting chamber, a rotatable element and means to rotate the rotatable element, an improved impeller pivotally secured to the rotatable element to rotate therewith relative to the grinding means. The impeller has an asymmetrical configuration including a massive portion adjacent its leading surface to cause 3,439,878 Patented Apr. 22, 1969 ice the impeller to orient itself relative to the grinding means, due to centrifugal forces, such that the leading surface forms an angle with the tangent of the circular grinding means of less than 90.

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention, it is believed the invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a food Waste disposer employing the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the improved impeller of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the improved impeller from an angle different from that of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to FIG- URE 1, there is shown a food Waste disposer having a generally cylindrical hopper or housing enclosing a comminuting chamber 11 near the bottom of which the comminuting or grinding of waste material takes place. Hopper 10 is supported below a sink 12, in alignment with the drain opening thereof, by means of a support system which may be of the type disclosed and claimed by Lauren W. Guth and Harry W. Thurman in US. Patent No. 3,198,443, issued Aug. 3, 1965, and assigned to the General Electric Company, assignee of the present invention. Because the support system does not form an important part of the present invention, and further because such support system is fully disclosed in the aforesaid US. Patent No. 3,198,443, only a brief description will be offered herein. A cylindrical tubular sleeve 13 is inserted through the drain opening of sink 12 until an outwardly flared flange 14 on sleeve 13 engages sink 12. A gasket 15 is disposed between the bottom surface of sink 12 and a clamping ring 16. An annular recess 17 in sleeve 13 receives a snap ring 18 which in turn carries a support ring 19. A plurality of threaded elements 20 threadably engage support ring 19 and are turned relative thereto until their upper ends engage clamping ring 16 to thereby rigidly secure sleeve 13, gasket 15, clamping ring 16, snap ring 18 and support ring 19 to sink 12. A plurality of clips 21 depend down from support ring 19 and have inwardly and upwardly turned portions 22. The upper end of hopper 10 has an annular gasket 23 which rests upon portions 22 to secure hopper 10 in rigid, and substantially water-tight, relationship with sleeve 13.

A resilient splash guard 24 rests within sleeve 13 to prevent food waste or water from splashing out of chamber 11 during operation of the disposer but which allows the admission of food waste and water into chamber 11. A stopper 25 is provided to retain water in sink 12 When desired.

A lower housing 26 is supported from the lower end of hopper 10 by means of an annular member 27 and a plurality of threaded bolts 28. A small circular gasket 29 is provided to achieve a water-tight seal between housing 26 and hopper 10. Also, a shredding ring or grinding means 30 is clamped between hopper 10 and lower housing 26. The function of the grinding means 30 will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. Lower housing 27 encloses an electric motor 31 which has an upwardly extending shaft 32 secured, at its upper end, to a rotatable element or flywheel 33. Contained within housing 26, below flywheel 33 and grinding means 30, is a sump 34 into which the comminuted food waste and water passes and from which it is discharged into the normal household sewer system by means of a discharge conduit 35.

Pivotally secured to the top of flywheel 33 are a pair of impellers 36 which cooperate, as flywheel 33 rotates, with grinding means 30 to comminute food waste present within chamber 11. Each impeller 36 is secured to flywheel 33 by means of a pin 37 which extends through flywheel 33 and is provided with a retaining means 38 which secures the pin 37 to flywheel 33. Each impeller 36 is provided with an elongated slot 39 which has a transverse dimension slightly greater than the diameter of the pin 37 so that impeller 36 is free to rotate about pin 37. The elongation of slot 39 allows impeller 36 to move radially inward and outward relative to pin 37 to minimize the possibility of jamming if excessively hard food waste tends to become lodged between impeller 36 and grinding means 30.

Grinding means 30 is provided with a plurality of cutting surfaces 40 which are bent inwardly from the grinding means 30 as best shown in FIGURE 2. FIGURE 2 illustrates impeller 36 in the position it assumes due to centrifugal forces when flywheel 33 is rotated. As can be seen, the distal end of impeller 36 passes in close proximity to cutting surface 40. Grinding means 30 is also provided with a plurality of apertures 41 which provide communication between comminuting chamber 11 and sump 34 so that the cornminuted food waste and water may pass therethrough to be discharged into the sewer system through discharge conduit 35.

The present invention is concerned primarily with the configuration of the individual impellers 36 and, as mentioned above, the configuration to be described hereinafter enhances the grinding rate of the food waste disposer but yet involves only a simple cast impeller relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4, it can be seen that impeller 36 comprises an upwardly extending massive portion 42 adjacent one end of impeller 36 which has a substantially flat surface 43. Flat surface 43 faces toward the direction of movement of the impeller when flywheel 33 rotates. Adjacent portion 42 is a trailing portion 44 of lesser height than surface 43. Also, as best seen in the top view of impeller 36 in FIGURE 2, the trailing portion 44 is beveled away from the grinding means 30.

The asymmetrical configuration of impeller 36 causes the impeller to orient itself relative to grinding means 30, due to centrifugal forces, such that surface 43 forms an angle with the tangent of the circular grinding means 30 of less than 90". This relationship is illustrated in FIGURE 2 and the afore-described angle is shown as angle on. Of course, the angle a will vary according to the relative masses of portion 42 and portion 44 and will place the center of gravity of impeller 36 on a radial line passing through the center of pin 37 and the center of shaft 32. In practice, it has been found that a magnitude of approximately 80 for angle at is desirable. This angular relationship between face 43 and the tangent to grinding means 30 creates, in effect, a V-shaped pocket between surface 43 and grinding means 30 which enhances the grinding rate of the disposer. The beveling of trailing portion 44 away from grinding means 30 serves to reduce the possibility of jamming when hard food waste objects are being handled by the disposer.

As best seen in FIGURE 4, the rear surfaces of portions 42 and 44, or the surfaces facing toward the axis of rotation of flywheel 33, are chamfered to provide a plurality of facets 45, 46 and 47 which provide no single surface of sufliciently predominant area whereby a large hard object such as a bone could become wedged between the rear surface of either portion 42 or portion 44 and the opposite surface of grinding means 30 or hopper 10. Any long hard objects which tend to jam in this 4 fashion will slide off from the surface due to the slanted nature of the individual facets 45, 46 and 47.

The upper edge of the portion 42 adjacent the distal end of impeller 36 is beveled at 48 to minimize the possibility of jamming. The lower area of the distal end of impeller 36, below portion 42, extends outwardly beyond portion 42 to pass in close proximity to apertures 41 during rotation of flywheel 33. This projection 49, by passing below cutting surfaces 40, provides an overlapping relationship which enhances grinding and the passage of projection 49 in close proximity to apertures 41 tends to create a pumping action to urge the comminuted food waste and water out through apertures 41.

A study of FIGURES 3 and 4 will indicate that impeller 36 has a configuration which is simple to achieve in a casting operation so that, although the configuration revealed herein enhances the grinding rate and efliciency of a food waste disposer, the manufacture of the impeller is not complicated since it may be cast in a manner similar to less efficient impellers.

Thus, it can be seen that the present invention provides an improved impeller for a food waste disposer which enhances the grinding rate of the disposer but yet involves only a simple cast impeller relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

As will be evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the invention are not limited to the particular details of construction of the example illustrated, and it is contemplated that various other modifications or applications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore intended that the appended claims shall cover such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a food waste disposer having a comminuting chamber, stationary grinding means within said comminuting chamber, a rotatable element, and means to rotate said rotatable elemznt, the improvement comprising:

(a) an impeller pivotally secured to said rotatable element to rotate therewith relative to said grinding means,

(b) said impeller having an upwardly extending portion adjacent one end adapted to cooperate with said grinding means upon rotation of said rotatable element to comminute food waste,

(c) said upwardly extending portion having a large leading portion with a substantially flat surface facing toward the direction of movement of said impeller when said rotatable element rotates,

((1) said upwardly extending portion having a trailing portion of lesser height than said fiat surface,

(c) said leading portion and said trailing portion each having a surface facing the axis of rotation of said rotating element with each said surface being chamfered to provide a plurality of facets each of which is of substantially less area than the total area of said surface facing the axis.

2. In a food waste disposer having a comminuting chamber, substantially circular stationary grinding means within said comminuting chamber, a rotatable element, and means to rotate said rotatable element, the invention comprising:

(a) an impeller pivotally secured to said rotatable element to rotate therewith relative to said grinding means,

(b) said impeller having an asymmetrical configuration including a massive portion adjacent its leading surface which has a height greater than that of the trailing portion of said impeller to cause said impeller to orient itself relative to said grinding means due to centrifugal forces such that said leading surface forms an angle with the tangent of said circular grinding means of less than 90.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1949 Smith 241-194 X 3/ 1958 Macemon.

6 2,912,176 11/1959 Jordan 241-46 X 3,194,505 7/1965 Spackman 241194 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,076,633 4/1954 France.

ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner.

FRANK T. YOST, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

